NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State will continue its non-conference slate this weekend when the squad heads to Starkville, Miss. for three matches over two days at the Maroon Classic. NSU will open the tournament on Friday against South Alabama in a match scheduled for 1 p.m. The Lady Demons will play on Saturday against Memphis at 1 p.m. and host Mississippi State at 7 o'clock.

Saturday night's matchup against the Bulldogs will be aired live on ESPN3.com in conjunction with WatchESPN and the SEC Network Plus. Fans whose cable providers offer WatchESPN will be able to click on the event and verify access by logging in through their cable provider.

"Between the three schools we're playing, I think we've all had some up and down results," fifth-year head coach Hugh Hernesman said of the competition. "Really for us, these four weeks are about establishing a level of play and really finding who fits best in what role and that will be mostly this weekend identifying what this is for us."

NSU is coming off a difficult weekend that saw the squad drop two of three matches at the Sawyer Camillo Invitational in Lafayette. The Lady Demons sweep over Southern on Saturday afternoon was sandwiched between 3-1 losses to Southern Mississippi on Friday and Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday evening.

"This past week was tough on us," Hernesman said. "I don't know if we played our best volleyball which is not surprising early in the season but I don't we played poorly either. I think overall there are some positives there."

The squad was without the reigning Southland Conference Libero of the Year Keelie Arneson, who was sidelined during the Southern match with pain in her left knee after injuring it on Friday night against Southern Miss. She is not expected to play this weekend.

"We expect her back on the floor in the near future, but it will depend on how her rehab goes and mostly her functionality and pain level once she's ready to go," Hernesman said. "She's a tough kid, so I think it'll be sooner than later."

The senior ranks first in the Southland Conference and eighth nationally in digs per set with 5.69. Junior middle blocker Glynna Johnson also made an appearance in the first NCAA statistical rankings, which were released Monday, coming in at third in the Southland and 69^th nationally in total blocks with 28.

Thanks in part to the efforts of Arneson and Johnson, NSU ranks first in the Southland Conference in opponent hitting percentage (.103) and blocks per set (2.41) while the squad also places third in service aces per set (1.59).

Sophomore Lauren Agan leads NSU with 46 kills and 2.88 kills per set. Senior Mackenzie Neely leads the squad with 51 points and 3.19 points per set. Seniors Stacey DiFrancesco and Emily Johnson have both tallied a team-leading seven service aces and Johnson has added 99 assists to her totals.

DiFrancesco, Glynna Johnson and freshman Aubrey Davis have played in all 22 sets this season while Emily Johnson and sophomore Natalie Jaeger have appeared in 21 and 20 respectively.

South Alabama enters the weekend at 2-4 after victories in its last two matches against Montana and Ball State at the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic in Laramie, Wyo. Friday's meeting will mark the eighth all-time between the two squads and first since 1995. The Jaguars hold a narrow 4-3 edge in the series.

Memphis also heads to Starkville at 2-4 and is coming off hosting the Memphis Intercollegiate where the squad posted a 1-2 record. At the tournament, the Tigers dropped close matches to Ole Miss and Arkansas State and picked up their lone victory against Tennessee-Martin. In the brief series, Memphis owns a 2-0 record after posting sweeps over NSU in 1996 and 2010.

Tournament host Mississippi State is also seeking to get back on track after a 2-5 start and recent 1-2 weekend at the Indiana Invitational. The Bulldogs picked up a win against Southeast Missouri State to open the tournament followed by consecutive 3-1 losses against Miami (Ohio) and Indiana. Among its five losses includes a 3-1 defeat against Southland member Sam Houston State on the squad's opening day in Huntsville, Texas. In the series with Northwestern State, the Bulldogs own an impressive 7-0 record all via sweeps. The two teams last met in 2009.

Following the Maroon Classic, NSU will have a quick turnaround with a Tuesday midweek match scheduled for 7 o'clock at Baylor.